A spike in the number of patients coming in with infected heart valves has surgeons speaking up -- because even if the expensive and involved surgery is successful, most of these patients will still die young.
Wochit

Judge Duane Slone observed the arc of the opioid crisis first-hand since painkiller-addiction began taking ahold of lives in the rural northeast Tennessee counties he serves.
Lacy Atkins / The Tennessean

VIDEOS: OPIOID CRISIS
IUDs for inmates seen as a tool to combat opioid crisis | 1:32

Female inmates speak out about addiction and listen to a presentation about babies born addicted to drugs. The number of babies born addicted to drugs, particularly opioids, climbed in Tennessee to 1039 in 2015 - up from 936 in 2013.
Lacy Atkins / The Tennessean

Dr. David Edwards, Clinical Chief of Chronic Pain Service at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, weighs in on the opioid crisis, comparing it to the tobacco crisis and an overflowing tub.
Karen Kraft, Anita Wadhwani / The Tennessean

Medical schools are expanding their training to help future doctors fight opioid abuse. New training programs at many schools teach students to prescribe opioid painkillers only as a last resort, and to evaluate patients for signs of drug abuse. (Ju
AP

Federal officials chided Congress for not funding Obama's $1.1B budget allocation for opioid treatment and education resources. Tennessee would be eligible for $24M over two years to help battle the epidemic.
Karen Kraft / The Tennessean

Governor Bill Haslam talks about how to combat Tennessee's opioid epidemic after a town hall meeting with the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack and Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center.
Saul Young / USA Today Network

Trina Frierson, a recovering crack addict who founded Mending Hearts recovery village for women, shared her addiction story at Nashville Storytellers “Through hell and back: Stories of addiction and recovery." (8/15/16)
Karen Kraft / The Tennessean

Brad Schmitt, a recovering addict for six years and the Nashville Insiders columnist for The Tennessean. “Through hell and back," will focus on our storytellers’ personal anecdotes about addiction and recovery. (8/15/16)
Karen Kraft / The Tennessean

CROCKETT COUNTY — The police commissioner in Friendship has been arrested after a Crockett County grand jury returned a three-count indictment.

Agents with the 28th Judicial Drug Task Force began investigating former police chief Johnny Elmore two months ago after receiving information that he was selling prescription narcotics, according to a news release.

Agents were able to buy hydrocodone and alprazolam from Elmore in his Friendship home. The drugs were also delivered to agents, the release says.

The grand jury returned the indictment Tuesday and agents executed a search warrant on his home, where they found more hydrocodone and alprazolam, the release says. Agents also found a handgun and police lights in the truck Elmore used to deliver drugs.

Elmore is facing two additional counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell and one count of possession of a weapon during the commission of a dangerous felony.

Elmore served as the Friendship Police Chief for 26 years, and was recently re-elected as a city councilman. He has been the Friendship Police Commissioner for eight years.

If you have information about drug sales in your community please contact the 28th Drug Task Force at 731-784-0555. Caller I.D. is not used and callers can remain anonymous.